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Learning from others

Learning about Social Media Marketing is a daunting task for somebody whose only exposure thus far has been Facebook. It is overwhelming enough to learn how to navigate different platforms, it is even more challenging to learn how to market myself. I was raised in a culture where talking about one's self can be viewed as distasteful if not downright tacky. I realize now that this is definitely from another era and if I hope to catch up, I will have to get out from under the rock I have been living in and embrace the 21st century means of communication, aka Social Media.

I have decided to follow my classmates, professor, a physician who is very well known in her field, Starbucks and UC Riverside on Twitter. While the selection seems random and totally unconnected, I believe I have something to learn from each one of them. My classmates are definitely a good resource because I think they are more social media savvy and know what to say and how to say it. From them I hope to learn the language and the insight that comes from a generation different from mine. Dr. Guignard is the authority on Social Media insofar as I am concerned. She combines theory and practice and is giving me the confidence to dive deeper into this heretofore unknown world. Dr. Karen Noblett is a renowned urogynecologist whom I respect deeply. Starbucks is a very successful business and UC Riverside is an institution of learning that has made a name for itself in the academic and research fields.

Following these individuals and organizations on Twitter will teach me a lot about building my personal brand. What should I say about myself? How should I say it? What will my tweets say about me? What should I share so that people will see what I stand for? These are a few things I believe I can learn from the people and institutions I have chosen to follow. From them I also hope to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of using Twitter as a social media marketing tool. Being a very popular platform, it is a great way to get messages across to a great number of people. Done right, it can be a very useful tool for social media marketing. However, it is a very tricky medium that can backfire if certain "protocols" are not observed. These nuances I also hope to learn from the more seasoned micro bloggers.

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